2021 Spring Tour of the Southwest, 3.31.21 - 4.14.21, Part 7 of 11, Gemini Bridges
It was hard for us to comprehend after all the amazing places we had seen that we hadn’t even gotten to the main event yet! This entire trip began during a call with my dear friend Mike Kent maybe a half a year ago. He said that he and his wife Sandy were planning to be in Canyonlands for a mountain bike trip on the White Rim Trail in the Spring and that maybe we should come down and hang with them before the trip. Mike and Sandy live in Steamboat Springs which is only a six hour drive from the Island In The Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. They have ridden the White Rim Trail an estimated forty times over the years. Along the way they found a secret free camping spot on BLM land very conveniently located with easy access to Arches, Island In The Sky and Dead Horse Point State Park which were all the places I wanted to see. The only catch was that once I knew the exact location he would have to kill me to protect his secret spot. I figured it would be worth it as long as he waited until the end of the trip to do the deed. In truth, over the years a few other people have become wise to where this location is so now we refer to it as the Not So Secret Spot. The other concern was that being about a half mile down a dirt two track over some rocky spots, would the Navibahn be able to get in there. We took our chances and made plans.
We left our campground in Cannonville last Wednesday and drove along the incredibly scenic Highway 12. We went up and down a mountainous area with tons of aspen groves that topped out at 7,700’ before descending into the town of Escalante. The gorgeous scenery continued past Escalante, driving through Escalante Canyon and Half Creek, past Boulder and then once again climbing into the mountains to a 9,600’ summit. As we descended from that point we could see the red rock that was part of Capitol Reef National Park. Past the town of Torrey we switched onto Utah 24 towards Hanksville and drove right through Capitol Reef. Talk about beautiful! Add it to the list. Must go. Beyond Fruita the canyon walls thinned but the scenery remained very cool and interesting all the way to Stan’s Burger Shack in Hanksville. I had been to Hanksville before when Mike Kent, Mike Dunlap and I spent ten days exploring Goblin Valley, Little Wildhorse Canyon and the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. It was a much wilder, lonelier place in 1990 and I remember it as one of the best trips I’ve ever done and certainly the most adventurous.
From Hanksville we drove up to connect to I-70, then dropped down towards Island In The Sky to our meeting place with Mike. He led us into the Not So Secret Spot. Bridgit and I have differing opinions on the intelligence of taking the Navibahn back in there but the bottom line is we made it and set up shop for the next six nights of boondocking. Without giving the location away, the Not So Secret Spot was a wonderful spot for a campsite. To the east the snow covered La Sal Mountains which top out at 12, 271’ (Mt. Peale) rose above the juniper trees. The camp site sits on a rock ledge so in front of us to the south and over a large expanse of Pinyons and Junipers we could see the rims of the canyons of the Green River as it works its way to the confluence with the Colorado.
Pinyon Pine on the ledge at our camp
Whitbeck Rock from camp. We would climb that later in the week.
The view from the ledge at the Not So Secret Spot
Our first full day in the area we took Mike and Sandy’s suggestion to check out an area called Gemini Bridges. They were going on a bike ride in the area so we parted ways at the trailhead. Bridgit and I walked along a bike trail to the rim of a huge canyon. From there we simply wandered up and down along the rim. It was a perfect morning. We saw no other people since we left quite early and to feel like you are completely alone in canyon country is a wonderful wild feeling.
Our hosts. Mike and Sandy
Gemini Bridges
Gemini Bridges
Gemini Bridges
Gemini Bridges. Bridgit adds scale to the size of the bridge.
Lovin’ Life
Gemini Bridges
Part 8 is next up!